Meeting With The Member of Parliament for Point Fortin!

Subject: presentation to MP by Pastor Roddie Taylor President of Point Fortin Civil Society Networker

MEETING WITH THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR
POINT FORTIN
04/03/10

Madam MP, thank you for agreeing to meet with us, in such a quick time.
In our letter requesting this meeting, we did introduce ourselves to you, i wish to take this time to re-iterate:-
We the Point Fortin Civil Society Network is a network comprising NGO’s, FBO’s, CBO’s, Sporting Organisations, and any other group of like interest, we have in the network 45 groups, so we represent a large cross section of the population of Point Fortin, our agenda is to help uplift the standard of living for the people of our communities and to help reduce the level of poverty that may exist among us by making representation to the necessary bodies for and on behalf of these communities.
Now that we have introduced ourselves and what we are about, let’s get down to the business at hand.
Madam Minister, allow me to quote from the MP for Point Fortin at a public education meeting held in the college of Frisco Junction, (Victor Chin Kit Park) on the 10th of August 2009. And I quote:-
The people of Icacos, Cedros, and Fullerton are beneficiaries of a fishing agreement signed in 1997, between the government of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, and the ministry of foreign is about to renegotiate once again, but this time we want to say how important Point Fortin is, and that important things come in small packages.
Soldado Rock which is just off Point Fortin- the moko jumbies could see it
In 1942 at the height of the second world war 11, the British acting on behalf of Trinidad (we were a colony then) signed a treaty (an agreement) called the Gulf of Paria treaty that specified what waters belong to Trinidad and Tobago, and that includes the Gulf of Paria and also Columbus Channel, what the British proposed and Venezuela agreed to was the boundary line would be drawn around Slodado Rock, (that area is ours sea-bed, mineral wealth, ect.)
It is a fact that fields around Soldado Rock have produced and continue to produce to this day hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, the significance of this rock is that small communities like Point Fortin, CAN and Do make big contributions to this nation, as our Jamaican brothers would say “we little but we tallawat” unquote.
Madam Minister, great speech, but our question is, what have Point Fortin benefited from all those hundreds of millions of barrel of oil?
Point Fortin have contributed and is still contributing to the national treasury more than any other part of Trinidad, but what do we have to show? As a matter of fact we see Point Fortin as a place that has remained stunted, malnutrition, and dwarfted as compare to other parts of Trinidad and Tobago that have not contributed as much as Point Fortin has, not only have we contributed financially, but culturally, and in sport, with great names such as Steve David, Wilfred Cave, Monty Douglas, Victor Voot Ogaroo, and many others, the Mahica Oval was the meca of sporting activities, today it stands as a disgrace, Point Fortin Civic Centre is but a skeleton of what it once used to be, nothing cultural happens there anymore.
Madam Minister we have a fire station that over the years have been puttied and painted with a few board change here and there, but the building remains the same, the is one fire tender that services the area from Icacos to Rousillac, no ambulance services, and water is almost always a problem. We would like you madam minister to provide us with some answers, we deserve it.
And now I come to the two most pressing issues, that of a promised hospital and a high way from San Fernando to Point Fortin.
Madam Minister you are well aware that for well over 25 years and many budgets we have been promised a new hospital here in Point Fortin, to date that’s all it is a promise, at your cottage you keep telling us that the hospital is coming, you cited reasons why the hospital was not built before, one being location, it is our understanding that a few green sites were identified and presented but for reasons beyond our understanding they were not accepted:-
The Construction, Dunlop Stretch, and the old Bel-Air Drive in,
Then HDC stepped in, Housing Before Health
Then E-Tech park, industry before health
The old drive-in is still there, we need to know why that site was not accepted, what is wrong with it?
We have now added two more sites for consideration, and they are the Rifle Range up at Guapo close to the beach, Very therapeutic in terms of fresh air coming in from the sea, the birds chirping, the place calm and serene, very therapeutic.
And the Pangola up at area 4
The reason why we are going this way is to let you know that the majority of people in Point Fortin, we are not in agreement with the hospital being built on the existing site, for reasons we are about to explain:-
(1) It is always cheaper to build from the ground up than to break down and build.
(2) To remove casualty from where it is now to just over the road and to put maternity wards and operating theatres in the old administration building and have containers as wards, on the compound while construction is taking place does not make sense, that have to be the thinking of someone gone mad. With all the dust and noise taking place how do you expect people to get well?
(3) We don’t see on that site room for expansion, there are Petrotin lines, gas lines running through there, also there are houses in close proximity, and people are living in those houses, how will they cope with the noise and dust? Is there a plan to relocate them until the hospital is completed?
These are some of our concerns Madam Minister concerning building on site,
Madam Minister this thing is not cast in concrete, we believe there is still time that adjustments can be made, and so we are asking you as our representative, to take our concerns to the Honourable Minister of Health.
Allow me to quote from the Newsday, (I have the clipping but not the date)
And I quote:-
“The delay in the construction of the new Point Fortin hospital has been described by residents and businessmen, including officials from the Point Fortin Industry and commerce as frustrating and overbearing, a senior citizen told Newsday the area was being poorly treated despite being the “energy basket” of south Trinidad.
On a recent whirlwind visit to the old hospital, health minister Jerry Narace reportedly stated that construction on the new hospital was expected to begin in October and is expected to service between 90.000 – 100.000 citizens, an increase of some 20.000 – 25.000 persons according to the latest CSO figures which was taken in 2005. The hospital catchment area stretches from Icacos and Cedros on the south-western peninsular toOropuche. Construction on the new hospital, three sites are reportedly being considered for the new hospital, at Clifton Hill, Bel- Air, and the out skitrs of the town centre, however health care officials together with the Point Fortin chamber have stated that the new hospital should not be constructed on the site of the existing hospital as this would disrupt the services provided at the hospital.
And so this brings me to our next concern, if as the honourable minister revealed that between 90.000 – 100.000 citizens will be serviced by this hospital, how come only 100 beds are being offered. Madam minister, you have been quoted on the news media as saying that “100 beds are adequate and that this is best practice” i want to let you know that, that is not a true statement.
According to Search All, Health Statistics Hospital beds most recent by country, Beds per 1,000. Switzerland has the highest rate with 18.3 beds per 1,000, Mexico has the lowest with 1.1 beds per 1,000, the United States has a 3,6 beds per 1,000, let’s say we are following the U.S Model if we have
100.000 at 3.6 per 1,000 we are looking at 360 beds, San Fernando has i was informed 600 beds they are struggling with overcrowding, if you give us 100 beds we to will suffer just like San Fernando, we urge the government through you to be pro- active and not re-active, don’t wait until the overcrowding starts and then wander what next to do, fix it up front.
We have waited for a long time and we are frustrated and fed up, but we are not frustrated and fed up to the point that we will accept anything given us, we deserve the best and we will not accept anything less.
I move on to the promised Highway, Since 1958, as I was reliably informed a sod turning ceremony took place for the construction of a Highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin, 52 years ago, nothing yet, again promises have been made that it will begin this year, Madam minister we are fed up of broken promises, and it seems that nobody cares about us here in Point Fortin, WHY? Why are we treated like this, why are we being neglected?
Is it because the Government believes that Point is a safe seat, so they can take the wealth from the safe seat and spend it in so called marginal seats to win votes, we are asking, we need answers, The people of Point Fortin need answers, could you please respond?.
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